IPL 2020: Here's how Shikhar Dhawan fell-in love with 11-years older Ayesha Mukherjee

Shikhar Dhawan is currently playing for Delhi Capitals in the ongoing Indian Premier League. He is one of the veterans playing in the tournament since its inception in 2008. To date, he has played for four franchise, having also led Sunrisers Hyderabad before.

Indian opener Shikhar Dhawan is one of the most prolific openers in the side. Known for his funky attitude on the field, he is often referred to as the 'Gabbar' of Indian cricket. However, when it comes to his personal and love life, he is the most lovable man.

As for Dhawan's love story, he is currently married to Ayesha Mukherjee, a Melbourne-based amateur boxer. With an age difference of 11 years, Ayesha was a divorcee, while she also has a couple of daughters from her previous marriage.

Nonetheless, the above reasons have not bothered Dhawan, as the couple share a healthy and lovable married life. But, how did it all began? Here, we present their love timeline.

Who is Ayesha: As said before, she is an Australia-based amateur boxer, born in a Bengali family in India, before moving to Australia. While her father is a bong, her mother is of English descent, as she can speak English and Bengali fluently. Ayesha is a lover of India food, while she loves to cook as well. She has learnt kick-boxing.

It all started on Facebook: Facebook has become one of the best social networking sites in the past few years, and has been the reason of many love stories. Same was the case for Dhawan, as it all started with a friend request, after he realised that Ayesha was a common friend of Harbhajan Singh.

Complications and judgements involved: As they started chatting in and becoming friends, it eventually came to be known that Ayesha was a divorcee, with a couple of daughters from her previous marriage to an Australian businessman. Also, she was 11 years older to him. Nonetheless, it hardly bothered Dhawan, as they seemed to gel together and started dating in 2009. Furthermore, he had the support of his mother.

A marriage made in heaven: Coming from a Delhi-based Punjabi family, Dhawan and Ayesha tied the knot in 2012, in a traditional Sikh wedding ceremony. Some of the top cricketers, including Virat Kohli, danced during his baarat. Following a pleasant wedding ceremony, they are leading a happy life. While both are busy with their respective schedule, they have never shown lack of love for each other, as Ayesha is often seen supporting him during his matches on international duty.

A healthy family: Following their marriage, Ayesha gave birth to their baby boy in 2014, who was named Zoravar Dhawan. Interestingly, Dhawan also adopted Ayesha's daughters from her previous marriage and are raising the three kids together, while both have a family home in south-east Melbourne. “For me, he’s always been the same. A caring guy, who nurses dreams to make it big in life. Not that his fortunes have changed post marriage; he’s worked hard to achieve them. That’s so sweet of him. But there’s cricket also, which he’s equally passionate about. He’s a responsible guy, who knows the art of balancing. I am so happy to be his wife. What amazes me the most is his problem-solving abilities. Also, when he’s not playing, he is a domesticated man, who loves helping his wife and kids in their tasks," she had said post her marriage with Dhawan.